The days in Ubud and Seminyak went by so quickly and would have loved to spend some more time with Nadine who taught me so much about the Indonesian culture. Almi arrived the same day that Nadine left, so after the friend swap it was time for new adventures!

The last night in Seminyak we started with dinner at WARUNG ENY which is a small restaurant with traditional authentic food. The kitchen is open and I’m not entirely sure if every stomach can handle it. Unfortunately I don’t have nice pictures of the food because it was too dark, but definitely an affordable place for a quick meal.

After our quick meal we looked for a nice place for drinks. Since we weren’t visiting in the high season it wasn’t really busy at any of the places we passed by. So after walking around for a bit we chose to go to LING LING’S as it has all these fairy lights and loud music that felt it would be a good cocktail place, the choice was absolutely perfect! They have really nice creative cocktails that are not too boozy but having real nice flavours. We just ate, but when I saw Bang-Bang chicken, Bao sliders, Tuna carpaccio nachos, and Korean tacos on the menu… I wish we had our dinner there!

The next morning it was time to go to the Gili islands! I was extremely excited to go there because I just bought a new mask and snorkel back in Amsterdam that I wanted to practise my free-dives with. I also took my father’s underwater camera with me so I couldn’t’ wait to take some snaps of sea turtles, colourful fish and coral. Also, who doesn’t like the relaxed island life with white sandy beaches and clear water!

Almi and I took the ferry called Gili Getaway to the Gili Islands as they recommend you to take the better-known fast boats (tip: book via: www.gilibookings.com). The trip takes about 2,5 hours and they pick you up from your accommodation in Bali.

Once we arrived we took our luggage (tip: take a backpack with you and leave your huge suitcase home. Guilty.) from the beach and carried it all the way to our hotel which was a long and hot 15 minute walk in the sun.

We started with lunch at PITUQ CAFE which serves vegan food and it’s like a backyard with a few small cabanas and some tables. Very cozy, but also extremely hot! I was literally melting because the island is so humid, so this was my excuse to order a latte and yet another dragonfruit bowl with roasted almonds on the side. Can’t get enough of these bowls!

After lunch we searched for a snorkel tour, and there are so many to pick from that we had no clue which tour would be any good. Although we didn’t pick the touristic tour, 2 girls and 2 guys on a boat for a private tour… there is a reason Lonely Planet warns for sexual harassment. So, please be safe ladies!

The snorkel tour was fun nonetheless with beautiful corals and colourful fish. Many puffer fish and turtles around the islands!

Next to some relaxing in the days ahead we also did some morning yoga, explored the island per bike and snorkelled near to the beach, north of Gili T, where we found our first sea turtle. Biking is a really nice and safe way to explore the entire island and you’re also able to visit restaurants, beach clubs and sightseeing points which are on the other side of the island. Gili T is also known for it’s great sunsets, so Almi and I went to the south part of the island to watch a beautiful sunset at MALIBU BEACH CLUB. If you like you can also go island hopping between all different islands for a day, but we were just being lazy.

There were 2 absolute highlights when it comes to food at Gili T. Not counting all the ice cream, cookies, nuts and other snacks that we bought. Let’s be honest all Asian snacks are the best… but right.. THE NIGHT MARKET has incredible food! Risoles are definitely my favourite, but everything was so good. I actually found real sambal for a change!

After having so much local food I had serious cravings for pizza, and so did Almi so we visited the “best” pizza restaurant at Gili T. Nothing lied, PIZZERIA REGINA serves awesome pizzas! So much cheese, I could swim in it. Speaking of melting, the island was so hot and humid that I found real comfort in having another ice cold dragon fruit smoothie.

Next stop, Lombok. Want to find out what else I did in Bali? For the rest of my Bali and Lombok stories click here.